on this saturday night, a mega mystery. a trio of winners hit the biggest jackpot in history. tonight, it's pandemonium where someone's wildest dreams just came true. shocking revelations in the case of a missing mom. could the letter she left behind have saved her children's lives? disaster warning. scientists sound the alarm. if you think this season's wild weather is extreme, wait until you hear what's to come. and talk of the town. an entire zip code up for sale. the schoolhouse, general store, even the gas station, all the schoolhouse, general store, even the gas station, all included. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. there probably won't be much sleep to be had in at least three american households tonight, assuming they've checked their lottery tickets and have discovered they won a share of that record setting jackpot, which will likely be more than $640 million. $1.5 billion were sold, but only three had the winning numbers. sold in kansas, illinois and maryland and tonight, as the rest of us snap back to reality with with our wildest dreams back on indefinite hold, the wait is on to find out who the winners are and what they're going to do with that cash. kevin tibbles starts us off in illinois. >> reporter: redbud, illinois, is a fairly small town and tonight, there are all sorts of

rumors, but here, as elsewhere, so far, no one's come forward saying they are the big winner. the motomart was all abuzz in redbud, illinois. >> couldn't wait to talk to somebody and share it. >> reporter: rudd red bud is about an hour east of st. louis. there was a redbud mentioned in a movie once. >> we're looking for a dog creek road. that would be near the town of redbud. >> i sure as hell wouldn't start from here. >> reporter: that was in vermont. as of now, this redbud is more famous. >> kind of puts redbed on the

map. >> reporter: still, the winner hasn't come forward and redbud's not alone. in maryland, customers checked their numbers at the 7-11. >> i went everywhere except for this store here. >> reporter: officials say a winning quick pick ticket was bought here. >> our advice is to safeguard the ticket, sign the back of it. >> reporter: they're eager to pay it out, but in maryland, you have the right to keep that to yourself. it's not just the jackpot winners cashing in. if you got all five numbers without the mega ball, you won a cool $250,000. four numbers without the ball, $10,000. three numbers nets you a modest $150. lakisha bolt won the smaller prize. >> i checked and i won 150. >> reporter: and the third winner is somewhere in kansas,

but in kansas, you're not required to come forward either, and besides, lottery offices are closed there for the weekend. and rules differ from state to state as to whether or not any lucky winner has to come forward at all. meanwhile, the employees here are going to be sharing in some form of prize because they get some extra money for selling the winning ticket. back to you. >> thanks. want to turn to the latest on the trayvon martin case. tensions were on display again today in sanford, florida, where thousands of protestors marched, demanding the arrest of george zimmerman. ron allen has our report. >> reporter: the nation's civil rights leaders have vowed to make the city of sanford's name as infamous as selma and

birmingham were in the 1960s for racial injustice. as hundreds once again converged on the place where george zimmerman gunned down trayvon martin 31 days ago and claimed self-defense. >> we'll use sanctions. we'll use boycotts. we'll use civil disobedience. we'll use every weapon in a nonviolent arsenal. >> reporter: in a rare public comment, trayvon's older brother said he does not believe zimmerm zimmerman's relatives, who claim his brother threatened to kill the crime watch volunteer. >> doesn't sound like my proer at all. >> reporter: this week, he insisted his brother had to fire to save his own life. >> and there would have been george dead had he not acted in that moment. >> i think we just need to relax a little bit.

>> reporter: julie tongs just said what many feel here in the place many call the friendly city. merchants say business is down and residents want the martin tragedy revolved by investigators, not on their streets. >> i feel sorry for the family, and the kid that he's passed away, but enough's enough. >> we came because the parents asked us to come. >> reporter: and one person who encouraged protesters to come was this freshman and trayvon's high school. >> he came from our school and he was friends with a lot of people and people were really close to him. he was like family. >> reporter: just a short time ago, zimmerman's attorney told nbc news his client is not a racist, that he's been cooperating with authorities and added once again, that zimmerman acted in self-defense and that florida's stand your ground law applies in this case. >> thank you. now to the race for the white house. in a looming showdown in the state of wisconsin.

our new marist poll shows mitt romney leadinging rick santorum ahead of tuesday's primary. though it's not all good news for the former massachusetts governor. ron mott is on the trail for us tonight in wisconsin. ♪ >> reporter: looking ever more like a republican party's leading man again, mitt romney's performance is also sounding more like a starring role. >> this is an election not just about a person. not even about a party. it's about a vision of america. >> reporter: today, at a forum near milwaukee, romney, rick santorum and newt gingrich all spoke. former massachusetts governor ignored his gop competitors, instead, sending zingers toward obama. >> the president says he wants to transform america. i don't want to transform america. i want to restore the principles that made us the hope of the earth and together, we're going to do that on tuesday and every day until we get back spoot white house.

>> reporter: romney appears to be calibrating for the general election and a victory on tuesday could be seen as the effective end of the primary race. he's ahead in the polls. the latest marist poll shows romney up over santorum. even the coke brothers reportedly funding a multi-million dollar ad buy hitting the president on high gas prices. >> since obama became president, gas prices have nearly doubled. >> reporter: but despite the cries around romney, rick santorum fired saying he's uniquely disequalled to debate the issue with the president while acknowledging his battle to remain in contention with the republican nomination. >> one of the campaigns for president a week or so ago suggested that it would take an act of god for rick santorum to win the republican nomination for president. well, i don't know about you, but i believe in act of gods. >> reporter: as for heeding

calls to get out of the race, rick santorum said again today his -- would not be unreal isic. >> thanks and a program note. rick santorum and chuck schumer will be among the guests tomorrow on "meet the press." and tuesday morning, a "today" show exclusive. sarah palin goes one-on-one about the president, the republican candidates and much more. that's tuesday morning on "today." overseas tonight, secretary of state hillary clinton is attending a summit with world leaders discussing two mideast hot spots, iran and syria. and the secretary of state isn't mincing words when it comes to either country, issues words to both. andrea mitchell is traveling with secretary clinton in istanbul. >> reporter: lester, secretary clinton is warning that time is running out for diplomacy over iran's nuclear program and expressing doubt about whether iran is serious about a

diplomatic solution. >> what is certain, however, is that iran's window to seek and obtain a peaceful resolution will not remain open forever. >> reporter: more than a year after iran broke off nuclear talks, negotiations will resume two weeks from now in istanbul. before arrivinging in turkey tonight, clinton is urging the gulf countries to strengthen their missile defenses against iran. on the eve of the summit next door in syria, saudi arabia wants to arm the rebels. the u.s. is arguing that the syrian opposition to too disorganized to become an effective military force. both the u.s. and arab leaders are calling for a deadline on diplomacy. president assad of syria has continued shelling neighborhoods even after saying he was

accepting the cease fire. the u.n. estimates that more than 9 million people have died since the beginning. now to the bombshell revelations in the case of susan powell, the utah mom of two who gained national aattention when she vanished. josh powell later took his own life along with the lives of his two young sons. only now, however, are we learning about the stunning amount of evidence people collected against him. evidence that has people wondering why he was never arrested. >> two little boys in the house and there's an adult man. he has supervised visitation and he brew up the house and the kids. >> reporter: when he blew up his house last february, police in washington state called it an admission of guilt in his wife susan's disappearance. now, search warrants reveal

detectives in utah may have suspected josh powell may have suspected he murdered susan from the beginning. chuck cox, susan's father, buried his grandchildren last month. >> that would have never happened. if josh would have been in jail, the children would be safe. >> reporter: josh told utah police susan vanished december 6th, 2009, the same night he claimed he took the couple's children camping in a snowstorm. we now know police found a generator, tarp and a generator inside the r car. inside the couple's home, investigators found susan's blood and two fans were set up and blowing on to the living room sofa. >> it wasn't impossible for them to go forward, but it would have been a lot more solid with the body. >> yep, that's seaweed. >> reporter: weeks after susan disappeared, powell moved with his children to washington state, where police there say they waited for the call to arrest him. >> there's direct evidence.

there's motive, everything but the body. >> reporter: susan's body was never discovered and he was never charged with murder. investigators have always defended the handling of their case and won't go into details about the latest developments. >> i'm not going to address any specific questions in relation to what has been released today. >> reporter: the search warrants were released because josh powell's father facing separate charges. the documents became public late friday. another twist in the tragic story that's left two children dead as their mother remains missing. when "nbc nightly news" continues, scientists sound the alarm about our wild weather and what's in store. and later, the smallest town in america up for sale and wait until you see what's included. ? slip-on's the way to go. more people do that, security would be like --

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we're back with a question on many people's minds. what has been causing all this strange and extreme weather we've been seeing in recent months. there may be a lot more to come as a new report out this week brought deepening concern about climate change. anne thompson has more. >> reporter: it's been a whacky and unpredictable winter. not much snow and cold in the u.s. in march alone, more than 6,000

highs broken. snow blankets in february and arctic blasts killing hurrica i. but elsewhere, people are relishing spring fever, including here in scotland, where the daffodils are out early. and so are the beachgoers. with the thermometer climbing to 74 when it should hover around 50. perfect weather to stretch the legs. >> this time of year, it's usually pretty stormy. luckically for me, it's my long weekend. >> reporter: but scientists say ping-ponging between extremes may be a bigger problem. >> the warming we've seen actually increases the chances, kind of loads the dice, that we're going to see these kinds of events more often. >> reporter: dr. david easterling is a co-author of a united nations report out this

week that points to climate change as leading to extreme weather events since 1950. >> the unusually warm days and nights, you can begin making that link between climate change and those events. >> reporter: they also link it to heavy precipitation and the floods that follow. some scientists now wonder if the decline in sea ice is altering the jet stream and our weather. >> right now, we're not sure how that is impacting the climate. >> reporter: nor are they sure if climate change has played a role in the deadly tornados that have roared across the u.s. in recent years. scientists connecting some of the dots between how we power the planet and our seemingly unusual weather. up next here tonight, here's an assignment to ponder. the homework debate. how much is too much and should it be eliminated all together? two new schools have thought,

reigniting an age old argument. and now i build them. i am a bigger is better kind of guy. i absolutely love building locomotives. i knew i wanted to design locomotives from when i was very young. [ jahmil ] from the outside it looks like such a simple device. when you actually get down into the bare bones of it, there's so much technology that's submerged. [ rob ] my welds are a signature, i could tell my welds apart from anybody's. you lay down that nice bead and you look at it, i love it. they don't go together by themselves. there are a lot of little parts, and everyone has their job. [ scott ] i'd love to see it out there on the open tracks. and when i see it, i'm gonna know that i helped build that thing. [ train whistle blows ] here she comes! [ bell clanging ] [ train whistle blows ] wow! [ charlie ] well, it's one thing seeing them built, but then to see them out here, pulling freight across america, it makes us proud. ♪

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possible side effects include headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. let your doctor do his job, and you do yours. ask if nexium is right for you. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. we're back with a new debate and an issue that causes stress for countless of american families've night. we're talking about homework. how much is too much and is it necessary at all? sound familiar? this week, two new studies came out on the subject and rehema ellis has our story. >> reporter: it's a typical afternoon. the homework routine kicking into gear. >> it's like four sentences a

night. >> reporter: oh, so paragraphs. >> yeah. >> reporter: before tv or video games, the boys have to finish their homework. >> they have to focus after being busy all day at school, takes a long time. >> reporter: now, two new studies with different findings are bringing the age old homework debate back into the spotlight. an australian study looked at the link between homework and achievement. it found little benefit for elementary and junior student, it did improve achievement for students in 11th and 12th grades, but a british study found homework has benefits for all students. the time kids spend on homework varies. >> yesterday, i did four hours. >> maybe an hour and a half to two hours. >> five or six hours. >> so do the opinions about it. >> well, i think you get a fair amount of homework. >> when i hear other pashts say

my child needs more, i think that's crazy. >> reporter: some experts recommend the ten minute per grade rule. for a third grader, about 30 minutes. for older students, it depends on their course work. >> i think it is important because i think some children struggle with mastering the concepts right away. >> reporter: some teachers say homework is an opportunity to practice lessons learned in class, but also say it helps develop lifelong skills. >> i think learning time management, that is the most important thing and being responsible for something. >> reporter: love it or hate it. >> i don't actually like homework very much at all. >> reporter: the daily ritual seems to be here to stay, along with the debate about it. >> and scared everybody. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york. and when we come back, it can be all yours. a whole town, a piece of the

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finally, it's a quiet little spot, has plenty of property and room for expansion, plus income potential and some history. and that just begins to describe a unique piece of real estate that you, too, can own. kristen dahlgren takes us to the place that gives new meaning to small town. >> reporter: ever dreamed of being famous? seeing your face on billboards? owning the town? no, i mean literally owning the

town. >> the whole town, everything, but you also get your own zip code. 82052. >> reporter: buford, wyoming is for sale. there's just one catch. that's don samons on the billboard. the only resident. >> i really couldn't believe it. that there would be one person here. >> reporter: don was on the "today" show last summer and things have changed since then. he has a new look and he's ready to hang up his hats of mayor, store clerk, mechanic. >> i have so say, i visualize some kind of palm tree and sand at some point. >> reporter: and maybe a book about his one-man town, which maybe by then will be somebody else's. on thursday, it will be auctioned off. bids start at 100,000. don's house, post office boxes, cell tower and the one-room

schoolhouse from the 1800s when 2,000 people lived here. >> it takes someone that wants something out of the ordinary. >> reporter: he's had interest from all over. >> well, i've heard from moscow, russia. not idaho. i've heard from beijing. >> reporter: and at a recent open house, even some from nearby lairmy came. >> we'd have two here, then that would be 100% increase in population overnight. >> reporter: things are bound to change. don hopes whoever buys it loves buford like he has. >> i will miss that. the interaction with people that are traveling. >> reporter: but as he hits the road himself, don can't help but wonder if he's ready. >> you know, i don't know. i might turn out to be a bad neighbor. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday.

i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today." i'll see you tomorrow morning on "today." have a good night, everyone. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com